Co-written by Chuck Colson, The Manhattan Declaration is an attempt for some evangelical, Catholic and Orthodox Christians to take a hard political stance on three issues: abortion, gay marriage and religious liberty. They unveiled it today although it was written a few months ago.

Here’s the most descriptive few paragraphs from the Declaration:

While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.

Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.

We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.

At the time of this writing the main Manhattan Declaration site was giving me some problems, but I was able to find the full text here.

What do you think of the Manhattan Declaration? Do you think it’s useful for Christians to sign?

Earlier this week I ran across a post on Experimental Theology that discusses different approaches to the theology of demons. The author provides two viewpoints on either end of a spectrum: the Liberal and the Literalist. The former being a sort of demythologizing of the New Testament and the latter a sort of high-alert “demons are everywhere!” approach. Most people fit somewhere in between those two stances.

Hop on over and read the entire article, the author presents some fascinating descriptions of where those views on demons go wrong.

The post got me thinking about whether or not belief in God necessitates a belief in the devil and demons. Can you believe in God without believing in Demons? It would seem to follow that if one believes in a higher supernatural power like God, you then they open up the possibility for other beings who exist on the supernatural plane: some of which would be sources of evil. The Bible would seem to corroborate this, yet few people actually live as if this is part of reality.

Truth be told, I personally put little stock in demons. What little belief I do have in the power of demons is balanced by my trust that God is far more powerful than any demonic force that may or may not exist. In short, I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about the powers of darkness; I’d rather spend time focusing on the good in the supernatural realm. Yet, the evidence points to evil forces in the world, so should I believe in them and—like the demons do towards God—”shudder?”

What about you though, what role do you see demonic forces play in our world? Do you believe that Satan has a hand in everything, is mainly an impotent being, or doesn’t even exist?

The hubbub surrounding Carrie Prejean has me thinking about beauty pageants and contests like Miss America and Miss World. They’re clearly part of the fabric of our culture, one of the towns I lived in even had a small town rendition put on by 4-H.

Should Christians support beauty contests?

What do you think?